Very Hard Time example essay topic

1,586 words
In the time I have spent observing my peers and their characteristics, I have determined that an individual has the highest respect for the things they have worked hard to earn. I have also noticed that things that are handed to people are usually not treated with such high regard. After seeing this, I have concluded that there is no substitute for hard work and dedication to acquire anything in life. In addition, those who were always handed everything on a silver platter most often are not able to fend for themselves in situations where they have no one to turn to for assistance. For instance, I have a college peer who has never had a job or had to do chores around the house and he now has a very tough time doing things for himself that come second nature to me. Tasks that are as simple as washing clothes, and cleaning his room have become obstacles instead of daily routines.

It is self evident that doing things independently teaches responsibility, enhances appreciation for the things acquired, and provides experience for future encounters. First of all, the level of responsibility I have is much higher than my friend's. My managerial skills for all aspects of my independence are pretty much in line. The first lesson I learned after starting my first job was how to manage my money. My parents told me that I would have to be responsible for buying my own things.

This meant I had to manage money for school supplies, fast food, gas, and sporting events, such as basketball games. By having done this I now understand that I have to ration what I do with every dime I spend. I also keep track of how I spend the money. I was also responsible for cleaning up the house. However, the main room I constantly had to tackle was my own. Because of this, cleaning up my dorm room now is something I automatically do when I realize it is getting junky.

That stops me from having to rush to clean everything thirty minutes before room inspections. A third aspect of responsibility I have is time management. By having a job and playing sports, I had to learn how to designate a certain amount of time for studying, hanging out with friends and doing other hobbies. If I just goofed off all the time I would not have been able to complete all the tasks I had to do each day. My friend, on the other hand, has a very hard time managing his responsibilities. He was never assigned chores, nor did he ever have a job.

As a result he has no sense of rationing. When it comes to money, he always seems to spend it all on worthless items. He is used to being at home where all he had to do was ask his parents for twenty dollars or their credit card every time he went somewhere with his friend. This wasting of money will cause a serious dilemma once his parents decide to stop supporting him. He also has a very hard time keeping up with things in his dorm room because he keeps it so dirty.

The fact that he hardly ever cleans causes him to get failing grades on the room checks. As far as time management goes, he doesn't have a clue. I often find him worn out in the mornings because he played video games until eleven at night and then tried to do his homework, which kept him awake until four o'clock. This is due to the fact that his mother practically told him when to do everything back home. I also have noticed that I have a greater appreciation for the things I have acquired. I take good care of everything I have because no one will replace the things I lose.

The most important items to me are my clothes. I try to keep my laundry done and folded. I hardly ever leave clothes out on the bed, unless I am in a real rush to go some where. I know that if I leave things out there is a chance that I may spill something on them or step on them. In addition to my clothes I also try to take very good care of my school supplies, especially my lap top. I keep it in its case and all my notebooks on a shelf or in my back pack.

I also lock the door to my room at all times to ensure the safety of my things. My school books are also very costly and therefore I do not loan them out. If my books were to come up missing, I would not have the luxury of calling my parents and telling them to send me new ones. My irresponsible friend, however, does nothing of the sort. At home, after he let his friends borrow things and they abused and misused them, his parents would simply replace them, no questions asked.

Now that he is in college he treats his property with the same low regard. His clothes are hardly ever washed. If they are washed, they definitely are not folded. He leaves them all over the room where they get stepped on and do nothing more than collect dirt. He often loses his notebooks along with his class work that was in them. His computer has had drinks spilled all over the keyboard, because he lets everyone use it.

As a matter of fact, when he leaves the room he doesn't even lock the door. This allows his friends to use his computer as well as his text books when he is not there. If something were to come up missing or broken he would have no one to blame but himself. The most important issue I want to point out is that my friend has had less experience than I have with situations that we may encounter in life.

By being somewhat independent in high school, I have gained experience for obstacles I may encounter. The first situation pertains to lost items. Within the past four years I have managed to lose my driver's license, my credit card, my check book, and my cellular phone. However, recently I have become much more responsible. Losing those items was not actually a bad experience, because it gave me insight as to how I had to go about reporting each loss to the proper authorities. Another situation is having a job.

For three years I worked as a fast food restaurant manager. I worked at a Taco Bell. This not only taught me personal responsibility, but how to manage and work with other people and their personalities. That is a valuable lesson to learn, because no matter what I do in life I will always have to be able to get along with all genres of people. The last lesson I learned was how to pay bills. There is no doubt that once I graduate and get my own place I will have a lot of bills to pay every month.

In high school, I had to pay my own car note, insurance, and cell phone bill. Although these are nowhere near the magnitude of all the bills I will encounter in life, I am now able to understand what paying bills is all about. Since my friend lacks the experience in personal independence, he may not know what to do when situations arise. I am positive he would not have a clue as to what he needed to do if he lost his cell phone or his wallet with his credit cards in it. He always let his parents call and cancel the services when he lost something. I also am positive that he will have a very difficult time adapting to the work industry.

He is used to always getting things his way. Never has he had to deal with anyone telling him how to do a job. Once he begins to work he will also have to learn how to work with others who may not agree with the way he does things. This may also cause a conflict. The last situation, which is paying bills, will be very hard for him to manage.

He has never had to pay a single bill in his life. He has never had a job to make money to pay bills, nor has he ever been able to manage the money he did have. When it comes to paying bills, all these things play major factors. Trying to manage all those new responsibilities may overwhelm him. In conclusion, I think everyone should be given responsibilities early in life. By learning responsibility at a young age people will have faster progress and less adapting to do once they have to become independent.

A responsible person is much more prepared for their adult life when compared to someone who was pampered through out their grade school years..